


Third Time's the Charm

by merriman



Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: Gen, Heists, Historical, Trouble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2016-12-13
Packaged: 2018-09-08 10:23:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8840941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merriman/pseuds/merriman
Summary: Amanda needs some help. Then she needs some help again. And again. It's really not her fault at all!





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jinxed_wood](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jinxed_wood/gifts).



> My thanks to my betas, who did double duty with looking over the story and with letting me bounce ideas off of them as I wrote.

**1635 - Italy**

"So, are you both thieves?" Duncan asked after they were seated at a table in a tavern Amanda wouldn't have otherwise set foot in. Not these days, anyhow. Still, their new friend was buying so who was she to complain?

"No," Rebecca told him, sparing a glare for Amanda.

Amanda just smiled brightly at Duncan. "Only to keep my hand in. You see, once I had to steal to survive. Now it's just a hobby."

"A habit," Rebecca noted. "One I keep trying to explain will get you in trouble."

"Nonsense," Amanda said, laughing. "It seems to me, it's made me a new friend today!"

"Aye, that is has," Duncan agreed. "Though I could have done without you threatening me and stealing my coin."

Amanda slid a little closer to him on the bench and pouted when he very purposefully shifted his purse to his other side and kept a hand on it. Of course, that was probably wise of him, and she could have lifted it anyhow. Besides, he was grinning so she was fairly comfortable in assuming he was teasing her. Oh, it was nice to find a man with a sense of humor. So many Immortal men were depressingly dour these days.

"But it all came out well in the end," Rebecca said as a barmaid set down drinks for the three of them. "Shall we drink to that? Amanda? Duncan?"

A day without a fight was a good one, so Amanda lifted her tankard and they all toasted to that. A few drinks later and Amanda found Duncan asking her about thievery. Not entirely what she'd expected from him, but he seemed amused by it all so where was the harm?

Rebecca aimed a stern look her way as Amanda settled herself to tell Duncan the finer points of burglary.

"What? He asked?" Amanda said, choosing to lay on the innocence nice and thick. "Actually, Duncan, now that I think of it, you could get a first hand look at me in action!"

"Not this again, Amanda," Rebecca sighed.

But Amanda was already planning it. Really, it was such good fortune to have met this big affable Scotsman when they did. He was absolutely perfect for the half-concocted scheme she was quickly fleshing out in her head. She'd wanted to deal with this while they were in Italy anyhow.

"It's fate, Rebecca," Amanda insisted.

"What is?" Duncan asked, a tinge of suspicion making his brows pull down heavily.

Amanda waved a hand at Rebecca and turned to look at Duncan full on. "You see, some years ago, a dear friend gifted me a small box - nothing terribly valuable, just meaningful to me - but after he died I had to leave rather quickly and I left it behind and I hadn't the faintest idea where it ended up until now. It's right here, in this very city! All I need is a bit of help in getting it back…"

Rebecca was shaking her head. "You don't have to help her," she advised Duncan.

But Amanda could tell Duncan was already listening. She just had to be as delicate as she'd been when lifting his purse.

 

**1821 - France**

"See, it was mine to begin with, so it's not really stealing," Amanda said, turning her smile on Dr. Adams in hopes of bolstering her case. "Please say you'll help?"

Adams said nothing. Amanda took that as encouragement. After all, he hadn't outright refused. Not that she couldn't work with outright refusal, but outright refusal required an entirely different tack from reluctant annoyance, which was where he seemed to be. She thought. Probably. It was hard to tell. After all, they'd only just met. But Amanda was fairly certain the faint look on his face was reluctance, not refusal. It was worth the risk.

"I just don't know who else to ask," she sighed. "Rebecca's wonderful, but it really isn't her sort of thing."

"And you think it's mine?" Adams asked.

Damn. It hadn't been reluctance after all. He was smiling now. It had been amusement. That was an entirely different kettle of fish and one she hadn't really been prepared for. Who was this man, anyhow? To waltz into the abbey and be friends with Rebecca and sleep all day and write in some language Amanda didn't even recognize - not that she'd meant to peek at that journal he'd left out in Rebecca's room - and now he was amused at her plea for help! It just wasn't fair at all.

"You do seem to be suited to it," Amanda said. "And Rebecca said you're very good at going unnoticed. Honestly, if you're not a burglar, I'd recommend trying it. You could do well!"

Now he was actually laughing. He was still laughing when Rebecca came into the kitchen and took a seat next to him.

"Is she attempting to gain your assistance with that box of hers?" Rebecca asked him. He nodded, eyes still crinkled with humor. "You don't have to help her, you know," Rebecca continued. "She's well capable of robbing the entire countryside blind without any help whatsoever."

"Oh, I have no doubt," Adams assured her. "But I admit, my curiosity is piqued. And it's not as if I need to worry about my own reputation here these days."

"Then you're not staying?" Rebecca asked. Amanda took that as a cue to leave the kitchen. They'd been having that discussion off and on for the past three days, since he'd arrived at the abbey with nothing more than a horse and one pack half full of books. Amanda was relatively certain that he wasn't running from anyone, not precisely, but he also didn't seem to want to settle down for very long. Which was perfect, really. All she needed was someone to make a distraction and then he could be on his way!

 

**2000 - Seacouver**

"Look! Three of my favorite men, all in one place," Amanda said as she walked into Joe's bar. Joe himself was behind the bar and met her greeting with only a smirk and a shake of his head. Duncan was at the bar and Methos was slouched in a seat at a table nearby.

Amanda went over to Duncan first, giving him a peck on the lips before going to attempt to give Methos a hug. He allowed it, but was already eyeing her with suspicion. Which, granted, wasn't really that unfair. But it wasn't what she wanted.

"What's going on?" Methos asked as Amanda went back to the bar and sidled up next to Duncan.

"Nothing!" Amanda said as Joe set a glass of wine on the bar for her. How thoughtful! But then she always had liked Joe. He was a good man and he understood the importance of a glass of wine at the right time. "Nothing at all," she assured them.

"Oh, we're all in trouble," Duncan muttered. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Amanda insisted. "Really! I've been on my very best behavior. I promise."

"Listen," Methos said, pausing and looking around the bar. "Do you hear sirens?" He smirked when Amanda tossed a balled up napkin at him. "Come on, Amanda. Your best behavior usually just means you haven't been caught."

"I haven't done anything," Amanda repeated. The unspoken 'yet' hung in the air of the bar like smoke and she knew it. They all knew it, really, but then she hadn't truly expected to be able to fool anyone. It was just nice to have a bit of a preamble when you were asking a favor. And she needed a favor. Well, she wanted a favor.

Methos, Duncan, even Joe, they were all staring at her with those disbelieving looks on their faces, like they had already prepared counter arguments. This was the trouble with having longstanding friendships - they came with so many assumptions!

Amanda shrugged and took a sip from her glass. Excellent vintage, utterly unexpected in a blues bar in the US. She'd have to compliment Joe later.

"I was actually hoping perhaps _we_ could do something," she told them. "Either one of you," she said, directing that to Methos and Duncan.

Joe sighed in relief and went back to getting the bar ready for the evening. "Never been so glad to not be invited," he muttered.

Duncan had gone to take a seat at Methos' table and was looking at Amanda. Methos was also looking at her. It was a tiny bit disconcerting, having both of them stare at her like very disapproving hawks.

There was no use getting ruffled by it. Amanda was quite good at not allowing herself to get ruffled by anything. She had nerves of steel. Nerves of titanium, even. You had to, in her line of work. So she just picked up her glass and walked over to join them, taking a seat and making them wait since their manners were so horrible.

"Amanda?" Duncan prompted. "Just what is it you want?"

"And how much trouble will we be in if we get caught?" Methos added.

Amanda looked at the two of them and put on a nice bright smile. They wouldn't buy it, but maybe it would still help.

"Do either of you remember that box I had?" she asked them.

"The oak one?" Methos asked. "With the inlays?"

"And the mechanical clasp?" Duncan added. "That box?"

"That's the one!" Amanda said, nodding. "I know I told you both how much it means to me." And it did. It wasn't just some bauble she'd swiped from an estate or museum. It was hers and it had been a gift and it was very sentimental.

"Tell me you didn't lose it again," Methos muttered.

"Again?" Duncan asked, attention off of Amanda for a moment and on to Methos. "You mean she's lost it _multiple times_?" He looked back at Amanda, his face doing that adorable thing it did when he couldn't quite fathom something she was doing. Sometimes she tried to see how far she could push, just to see that look. But right now she was more annoyed that Methos would bring it up.

"Somehow it just keeps going astray," Amanda said, sitting up straight in her seat and crossing her ankles. It wasn't her fault that the box kept going missing. Not in the least. "But it's fine! I know exactly where it is. I just need a little help."

No answer from either of her friends, but she could hear a low chuckle from behind the bar.

"Joseph…" she warned. The chuckling continued for a moment, then silenced. Out of the corner of her eye, Amanda could see Joe still smirking and shaking his head. She focused back on Methos and Duncan, who were both staring at her now.

"A little help," Duncan said, nodding. "You mean like that time in Italy when I gave you a hand and almost ended up having to fight a duel for you?"

"Or when I helped you, back in France?" Methos asked. "What was it you said? It would be easy? You just needed a distraction? Sure, I was plenty distracting when the lord you were stealing from was chasing me across his grounds in his nightshirt."

Amanda winced slightly at Duncan's reminder, then more at Methos'. She opened her mouth to rebut the both of them but they were continuing.

"Oh, and you said it would be easy, but I seem to recall I was the one who had to do the climbing up the outside wall to set up your ropes," Methos said, speaking more to Duncan now. "And they'd changed the rooms around inside so we ended up in the nursery."

"There was a dog when I helped her," Duncan told him. "A big one, and it didn't much like me."

"That dog was brand new! I had no way of knowing they had it!" Amanda protested.

Methos and Duncan were now completely ignoring her, which would have been annoying no matter what but was especially galling since they were talking _about_ her, and they were certainly aware she was sitting right there. So she just crossed her arms over her chest and sat back. Fine. Let them get it out of their systems.

"The nanny woke up," Methos told Duncan. "She woke up and alerted the whole household. Before I knew it I was being accused of kidnapping and the lord of the manor was chasing me outside and through the night."

"Better than a young man head over heels for Amanda, insisting I was trying to win her from him by presenting her with a token he'd purchased," Duncan muttered. "You know she told me it wasn't valuable?" he added to Methos, who nodded. "Turns out the box isn't valuable. It's the contents."

"Which aren't even hers," Methos added. "Sure, the box is, but the necklace in it?"

"It had a bracelet when I helped her get it!"

"Boys!" Amanda said firmly, holding out her hands to stop them. "Duncan, Methos, please! It truly is the box I care about, I promise! And I never intended either of you to get in trouble. I just wanted it back! I'll leave whatever's in it now, or one of your could take it. I really don't need it!" Which was galling to say, as she usually found people had locked the most fascinating things inside. Without fail, people always assumed if it was difficult for them to figure out how to open it, it would be impossible for someone else. So they locked all manner of items inside, from diamonds to coins to perfume, all of which sold quite nicely if one could find the right buyer. Still, sacrifices clearly had to be made.

"Where is it now?" Joe asked from the bar. Trust Joe to ask a pertinent question.

"Well, you see," Amanda started. "I got in a bit of trouble a few years back - I was totally framed, I assure you - and it was stolen from _me_. But I've found the buyer and he lives just a few hours away. All I need is you two to keep him busy for a while. Please? It will go much smoother than last time. I promise. What do you say?"

"No," Duncan said firmly. Methos just shook his head.

Amanda was about to resort to pouting when she felt someone else approaching the bar. How awkward! Duncan got up and went for the bar, where he'd probably stashed his sword, and Methos did that shift she knew meant he looked like he was still harmless but really he could draw his blade - or gun - in a split second. Amanda just turned around to see who it was coming through the doors and then laughed when she saw a familiar face.

"Cory!" she cried, walking over to take his hands. "It's so good to see you!"

Cory let her do it and grinned at them all. "Well check this out! All my favorite people in one place!"

Amanda led him over to a table away from where Methos was still sitting. "Cory," she said as they sat. "Any chance you'd be willing to help me out with a little job?"

Before he could answer, both Methos and Duncan called over to them. "You don't need to help her!"

But Cory just smirked at them. "Of course I do," he told them. "Because if I help her, she'll help me. And I just need a tiny little favor. It'll be easy. No problem."

Amanda eyed him with suspicion, but held out her hand so they could shake on it. "Now, Cory, let's go talk in private where these boors won't interrupt."

As they headed out of the bar, Cory in front of her, she heard Joe ask Methos and Duncan a question.

"Bets on how long before we get called for bail?"

Amanda had the grace to ignore them. After all, this time it had to go off without a hitch.


End file.
